⬅ return BLANK EARTH OF CIGARETTES & COPULATION SNOW IN SUMMER THE LOST WORLD NIHILIST APATHY APOCALYPSE

The Placebo Effect is a franchise of interconnected novels written by Todd D. Cooper. The series is unique in that each entry is first-and-foremost intended to stand as it's own individual work, meaning the series can be picked up and read at any point, in any order, and without the context of other entries.

As such, the series spans across numerous genres, has no distinct 'main' character (although several recurring ones) and takes place across different timeframes, even across alternate realities, however the majority take place in a singular shared universe entitled "D-242".

Of course, a reader's experience of each entry is heightened by the wealth of context and knowledge obtained from reading the other entries, as no matter how large or small the scale or far removed in tone or setting, every book is still connected to another through an elaborate web of supporting characters, events and shared worldbuilding.

While Apocalypse and Smoking The Filter are tied to The Placebo Effect franchise and it's canon, neither are considered an official a part of the series.

"Tape One" is the first chapter of the franchise and the most directly interwined in narrative as it consists almost entirely of the Blank Earth trilogy, which includes the titular transgressive drama Blank Earth and both it's sequel: the noirotica thriller Of Cigarettes & Copulation, and it's prequel: the young-adult romance novel Snow In Summer.

While taking place in separate locales, years, and genres, the Blank Earth trilogy is closely linked through it's recurring and intermingled cast of characters (notably the protagonists of Jacob Delsin and Alex Peterson) as well as each novel's grounded tone and the lack of speculative, fantastical, supernatural or science-fiction elements which emerge later in the franchise.

In release order, "Tape One" consists of the following:
blank earth of cigarettes & copulation snow in summer the lost world Nihilist Apathy (anthology)

Chronologically, the reading order would be:
* May-September 1997: The Lost World (novel)
* September 2006-July 2007: Snow in Summer (novel)
* October 2008-July 2010: Under the Stars (novella)
* March-May 2011: The Rain of April (novella)
* June-July 2013: The Melancholy of Separation (short story)
* April-May 2015: Blank Earth (novel)
* November 2016: Neurotic Atrophy (novella)
* July 2017: One Warm Night (short story)
* December 2017: One Cold Night (short story)
* December 2018: Chuck's Big Week (short story)
* December 2018: Of Cigarettes & Copulation (novel)
* January 2019: One More Night (short story)
* N/A: Nihilist Apathy (novella)
* April-August 1994 [D-482]: Fragments of Ambrosia (novella)


All three novels of the Blank Earth trilogy follow the perspective of the 'street level' characters, and involve a simple narrative structure told through a more philosophical, existential and sociological lens, dealing with abstract concepts/themes of identity, existentialism, moral relativism, utilitarianism, alienation, and the processing of grief, while more concretely the novels address serious real-world issues such as substance addiction, poverty and/or economic insecurity, domestic and child abuse, depression/mental health, disability, suicide, and politics.

Both Blank Earth and Of Cigarettes & Copulation are tonally bleak, dark, and gritty in both locale and character. However, Snow In Summer (while subtly still addressing many of the same thematic concepts) is far more light-hearted, upbeat, comedic, and nostalgic in presentation and style. Likewise, Of Cigarettes & Copulation is a far more complex narrative than the others, which subtly works to introduce the reader to several plot threads, themes, characters and concepts of the succeeding Revelations trilogy, while simultaneously concluding Jacob Delsin's character arc.

The first novel of the Revelations trilogy; The Lost World, which is a reimagining of the 1912 Conan Doyle novella of the same name.

Nihilist Apathy is an anthology of several individual short stories and four novellas (Under The Stars, The Rain of April, Neurotic Atrophy, and the titular Nihilist Apathy) set at various times and locales in the Placebo Effect multiverse, these stories mostly work to "fill in the blanks" established by the preceding novels, and also help in concluding the character arcs for several characters such as Ryley Summers, Alex Peterson, while further planting the seeds for the succeeding trilogy.

"Tape Two" is the second chapter of the franchise and consists of the Revelations trilogy, which includes the crime drama Uneven Odds and the WWII spy thriller Crestfallen. As well as the first AU-set novel in Farewell Abodes, and Holmes which serves as a conclusion to .

While taking place in separate locales, years, and genres, the Blank Earth trilogy is closely linked through it's recurring and intermingled cast of characters (notably the protagonists of Jacob Delsin and Alex Peterson) as well as each novel's grounded tone and the lack of speculative, fantastical, supernatural or science-fiction elements which emerge later in the franchise.

In release order, "Tape Two" will consist of the following:
* Farewell Abodes
* Uneven Odds
* Crestfallen
* Holmes


With this, the chronological order would be:
* June-October 1944: Crestfallen (novel)
* September-October 1993: Uneven Odds (novel)
* May-September 1997: The Lost World (novel)
* September 2006-July 2007: Snow in Summer (novel)
* October 2008-July 2010: Under the Stars (novella)
* March-May 2011: The Rain of April (novella)
* June-July 2013: The Melancholy of Separation (short story)
* April-May 2015: Blank Earth (novel)
* November 2016: Neurotic Atrophy (novella)
* July 2017: One Warm Night (short story)
* December 2017: One Cold Night (short story)
* December 2018: Chuck's Big Week (short story)
* December 2018: Of Cigarettes & Copulation (novel)
* January 2019: One More Night (short story)
* December 2021-November 2025: Holmes (novel)
* N/A: Nihilist Apathy (novella)
* April-August 1994 [D-482]: Fragments of Ambrosia (novella)
* April 1994-December 1997 [D-482]: Farewell Abodes (novel)


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